Saturday, May 20, 2017

The son of jailed mob underboss Joseph “Mousie” Massimino was
arraigned Saturday on charges of selling narcotics that caused the
overdose deaths of two Queen Village residents in April, according to
police.

Joseph Massimino Jr. was charged under a Pennsylvania law
establishing harsh penalties for dealers convicted of selling narcotics
involved in overdose deaths. Police arrested Massimino several weeks ago
following a raid on his Mountain Street house in South Philadelphia,
where they allegedly seized $200,000 worth of heroin and other illegal
narcotics, $7,000 in cash, and firearms, a police source said.
Massimino is being held. His bail was set at $1.5 million.
In the past, authorities typically treated overdose deaths as
accidents and dealers were not held criminally liable for more than the
sale of drugs. But in reaction to the opioid epidemic, Pennsylvania
joined other states in enacting so-called “drug-dealer liability” laws
that impose harsher sentences on dealers whose clients overdose.
Massimino’s lawyer, Greg Pagano, said he planned to vigorously contest the charges.
“We plan to defend against these charges and investigate everything
thoroughly, hire our own experts if necessary, and review all the
evidence,” Pagano said.

Joseph Massimino Sr. was convicted in 2013 of racketeering and
conspiracy in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia following a
three-month trial. Judge Eduardo Robreno sentenced Massimino to more
than 15 years in prison.